I'm always happier after I look at this picture. Now you are too.

So it is my goal to blog at least once a week. I'm on a roll - 2 weeks in a row! Hopefully I can keep this up. I've decided that to scrapbook my life would take entirely too much time since I take a billion pictures. I am going to use this blog as more of a scrapbook/journal - to document pictures and the happenings of our life. Sorry if I get a little boring or too personal, but I eventually want to book this blog and I want as much in it as I can post about. I hope that you don't feel obligated to read every word, either. I won't feel bad if you just get on to look at pictures. They're the most exciting part of any blog, let's be honest.

This week was a great week. I can't believe Brenan has finished 2 weeks of school already! He is loving his classes as he is taking a lot of electives - so they are the classes he is most interested in and wants to learn from. It was a hot week here in Provo - for September anyway. One day this week I took McKay out for a walk to stroll around our new neighborhood, you know, check out the scenery. There is a pretty significant hill just to the east of our townhouse and I decided to hike up it (the most strenuous activity I've done since I found out I was pregnant.. sad I know). So I get to the top of the hill pretty much breathless. It had been about 20 minutes that McKay had been in his car seat in the stroller by this time, which is about his limit. Sure enough he's screaming and I'm sure the whole neighborhood thinks I'm a bad mom now, so I pull him out and carry him. By now I'm headed back down the hill, McKay in one hand, hanging onto a run-away stroller in the other hand (steep hill). It's blazing hot and suddenly we get attacked by these nasty little aphids, like thousands of them. So I'm trying to shield McKay from the onslaught of bugs, keep the stroller from crashing down the hill, and sooth McKay so we don't attract more attention than I already was. Needless to say, I probably won't head back up that hill for a while.

Among other things, I had a fantastic birthday yesterday. Brenan made it extra special. On Friday night I went on a much needed shopping spree - which has never felt so good. This old body just ain't the same. I got a new outfit that Brenan helped me choose. He is quite the fashion consultant, surprisingly enough, although yesterday he tried wearing his black DC shirt with neon writing with his camo shorts. Yikes babe. But truly he has some serious steeze (aka style for anyone not well acquainted with Brenan's unique vocab). Anyway, back to the birthday - so yesterday I got to sleep in, woke up to Brenan handing me a homemade card he had just finished scrapbooking (if anyone is doubting Brenan's manliness, please! Real men know how to scrapbook cards for their wives) had visits from Meredith and Kelsey in the morning, which was a fabulous start to my day. I had beautiful flowers delivered to my door from the Leavitts and they look beautiful in my kitchen! Then Christy and Jackie stopped by and brought lunch for us, which was delish! Christy made an incredible salad which Brenan likes and says I can make again. Brenan is not a fan of pasta salads which I LOVE, so I never make them, but this coleslaw chicken salad is a winner. Fab. I just love Christy and Jackie, so glad I live so close to them. I have some incredible friends. Thanks to all my friends and family who took time to stop by or call or text. Love you all. We then watched the cougs kill Tulane and afterwards went to Color Me Mine and we painted a plate together. It was so fun and felt so good to be doing something artsy. McKay did so great the whole time and didn't fuss at all while we were there. Amazing. We stopped by Kneaders on the way home and picked up delicious sandwiches. To top the day off, McKay even gave me a present.. he slept from 1am - 6am!!!! Which means I got 5 straight hours of sleep!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can live with that. It was a blessing from heaven. Brenan took him at 6 and I went back to sleep until 8. Sleep is a precious gift these days. Basically, yesterday rocked.

This week McKay has started growling, constantly. It is the cutest thing ever.. he growled all through Sunday school today which was a get-to-know-the-newbies-in-the-ward meeting. He is a precious boy and it's so fun to watch him grow and learn such important skills as growling.

Here's McKay getting an early start on sick tricks. Of course he is rocking one of his three pairs of skate shoes, in this case, Etnies from Auntie Andrea and Uncle Troy. Thanks guys!

He's a fast learner and can already manual.